Attack of the Ninja
by SK Dark Dragon
Summary: With the Millennium Eye now in Yugi's grasp, it seems the path to uncovering the past is closer than ever. However, a simple trip to the mountains results in an encounter with a strange tribe, and their powerful master...-CHAPTER 3 UP!-Read and Review-
1. Chapter One: The Wish

**Attack of the Ninja**  
  
Notes: Welcome to the next installment in my YuGiOh series! After their last encounter in Domino with the YuYu Hakusho gang, and now with the elusive Millennium Eye in his grasp, Yugi and his friends are ready for some rest and relaxation. Though with the mysterious Zurui still on the loose, and the mystery of Yami's past coming closer to him, I doubt they'll be getting any.  
  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own YuGiOh. If I did I wouldn't have to disclaim myself. I do own the story and my made up characters.  
  
Thanks for reviewing my last story (if you did) and if you like YuYu Hakusho, I've started a chapter fic for that which can be found on my story list in my profile.  
  
And this story is based off a RPG I started a few months ago.   
  
Here we go!

* * *

**Chapter One: The Wish**  
  
Yami sighed as he stared out at the sunset. He'd left his host and reincarnate, Yugi Motou, back at the house to do his homework while the spirit went out to do some contemplating. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy his partner's company. Quite the contrary, that was one of the few things in his life, if it could be called that, that made him happy and kept him going.  
  
But ever since that incident a few weeks before, the ancient Pharaoh had become restless. Yugi now possessed the Millennium Puzzle, which was Yami's home in a way, the Millennium Necklace, given to him by Ishizu, the Millennium Ring, which Bakura had given back after mysteriously finding it around his neck when he woke up one evening, and now the Millennium Eye.  
  
"The Millennium Items are dangerous," Yami thought to himself as he sat on the hill, watching smoke rise from a factory in the city down below him. "And as long as they are in the hands of their rightful possessors, they still pose a threat to the rest of the world. Demons, humans, anyone could come and take one and use it for evil."  
  
The conflicted Pharaoh sighed, thinking about the remaining three items. The Millennium Rod was in the possession of Seto Kaiba, but that wasn't much of a problem in terms of retrieving it. Seto would never admit that he held any fondness for the item and if Yami requested it, Priest Seto, the spirit of the ancient high priest that had taken it upon himself to look after Seto, would be sure to give back the item to the Pharaoh.  
  
Heaving a sigh, Yami rested his chin in his hands.  
  
"Do I really want to know...?" he murmured. "When all seven Millennium Items are brought together, the Pharaoh's memory reawakens. But what else happens then? I will understand my past, and know why it was that I came to rest in the Millennium Item and reawaken in this era."  
  
Narrowing his eyes, he sighed once more. There were so many questions. Unfortunately, the answer to all of them was the same for now.

* * *

Duke Devlin yawned, flipping through a manga book on the sofa. Amber Johnson, an exchange student from America, sat on a chair across from him holding a manga book and a large book on kanji in front of her. Biting her lip, Amber sighed, shoving the books away.  
  
"I don't know how you people can learn all these kanji," she muttered, rubbing her temples in frustration. "They all look exactly the same."  
  
Duke chuckled, turning a page in his book.  
  
"Well, it's not so hard, once you get the hang on it," The black-haired boy explained, grinning. "At least we never tried to teach any of that to Pearl while she was here. She would have gone ballistic."  
  
Amber grinned, nodding, a strand of her long brown hair falling into her face.  
  
"Well, that's true," The blue-eyed girl replied, thinking of her 10-year old cousin who had come to stay with them over Christmas vacation when the Vampire Lord was at large.  
  
Pearl Lark had gone back to America, much to Amber's relief, and was now back in school. Duke, however, hadn't minded the girl being around much. (Of course he could tell she harbored a secret crush on him, which made Amber irritable at times.)  
  
"Well, it's late," Amber yawned, standing up, a few more manga comics falling to the ground. "I'm heading to bed."  
  
Duke nodded, turning another page.  
  
"Yeah, I'm turning in just as soon as I finish figuring out what happens to the character..." he muttered, deeply immersed in the book.  
  
Amber sighed, walking up to the stairs, her marbles that she always kept with her jiggling around in her pocket.  
  
"I didn't even get past page 5," she grumbled, shoving her hands into her pocket.

* * *

Tea Gardner smiled as she turned a page in her yearbook, sitting on her stomach on her bed, a pillow propped up beside her. Next to her was Kiki, an Irish dancer who was staying in Domino and performing.  
  
Kiki giggled, pointing to a picture of Tristan and Joey, both of whom were stuck in an inflatable pool ring during the class trip to the pool last year. She brushed a strand of her white hair out of her face as she smiled.  
  
"Those two are so goofy," she commented, amused by their horrified faces in the snapshot.  
  
Tea nodded in agreement, her brown hair swaying as she did so.  
  
"Yeah, you'd think they were still in fifth grade sometimes," she muttered, turning a few more pages. "Yugi too, although he was never so silly; not even when we really WERE in fifth grade."  
  
Kiki smiled broadly, looking over at Tea with her pale blue eyes.  
  
"It must be so nice to have lots of friends like that," she commented. "Aside from my dancing troupe, I never really had time to make many life-long friends."  
  
Tea smiled, putting a hand on Kiki's shoulder, her eyes wandering down to the dragon-embroidered choker the girl was wearing around her neck.  
  
"Well, now you've got me, and Yugi, and all the others," she said supportively.  
  
Kiki sighed, still smiling.  
  
"Yes, but it is still nice to have history like that," she said longingly, seeing a picture of Yugi, Tea, Tristan, and Joey, all making goofy faces at the camera and holding up peace-signs.  
  
Tea tilted her head to the side, still smiling.  
  
"Well, history isn't always everything," she reminded the girl.

* * *

Seto Kaiba sat at his desk, browsing through his e-mail. After the incident with Mokuba's corrupt doctor and a visit from several demons to the city a few weeks before, things had quieted down in his life. Not that he was complaining.  
  
The Millennium Rod had been stowed in his metal briefcase, which he left under his bed while he was at home. Other than that, and the fact that Priest Seto was still around, you'd hardly suspect that the teenager was involved in the Millennium Destiny.  
  
"Working on that computer thing again?" Priest Seto asked, floating into the room, his body pale and tinged slightly blue since he was only a spirit visible to those with relation to the ancient magic.  
  
"This computer-thing is my job, priest," Seto replied calmly, used to the priest's interruptions by now.  
  
Seto had actually grown to like the ancient spirit. They'd gotten off to a rocky start, but now he and Mokuba acting like priest was just another member of their small family. Seto wouldn't admit it, of course, but he liked it that way.  
  
"I'd lose money if I didn't keep things up-to-date," Seto continued, brushing his brown bangs out of his eyes and deleting a piece of spam e-mail.  
  
Priest Seto nodded slowly, not really understanding how sitting in one place he could update anything, but then again, he didn't understand most modern technology. Instead, he chose not to pursue the topic.  
  
"So, have you heard from the Pharaoh at all?" Priest Seto inquired, curious to see how the former Pharaoh was getting along during these quiet days.  
  
Seto shook his head.  
  
"No...I haven't seen Yugi lately," he replied absentmindedly. "What's Mokuba doing?"  
  
Priest Seto sighed.  
  
"He's just play his television games downstairs," The spirit explained, not quite sure how _they _worked either, but he wasn't going to bother asking again.  
  
The explanation Mokuba and Seto had given last time had only succeeded in confusing him even more than he had already been.  
  
"I wonder..." Priest Seto murmured, glancing over at the window.  
  
Seto raised an eyebrow, turning his swivel chair around to face the ancient spirit, looking curious.  
  
"Wonder what?" Seto inquired.  
  
Priest Seto shrugged, feeling foolish.  
  
"No, it's nothing," he replied with a sigh.  
  
In truth, the spirit wondered that even if the seven items were brought together, would their combined powers restore the Pharaoh's memory? Or was there something that he, the priest, or Seto Kaiba had to do, since it had been the curse Yami Bakura invoked by using the Millennium Rod to wipe the Pharaoh out of history forever.  
  
_The nameless Pharaoh..._  
  
It will come back to him eventually, Priest Seto declared silently to himself, looking out at the night stars that were coming out in the velvet sky. Pharaoh Atemu and his life will be known once again...soon.

* * *

In a forest a few hundred miles from Domino, a lean man darted through the trees, easily, as if he were flying with wings rather than running on human feet. His face was covered in thick, blue face paint, and his clothes were brown and with torn edges. A necklace of teeth of some sort was strewn about his neck, and it rustled as he ran.  
  
"Master," The blue-faced man announced as he slowed to a stop near a stone cave that had been cut into a mountain. "Master!"  
  
Inside, a pair of green eyes opened calmly, sensing the man's presence in the cave. As the blue-faced man stepped forward into the cave, the smooth stone feeling much more soothing under his bare feet than the hard ground of the forest, a voice entered his mind.  
  
_ You have returned, Mazai..._  
  
Mazai, the blue-faced man nodded.  
  
"Yes, master," he replied loyally. "I have sensed those that you seek."  
  
The green eyes softened, as if in delight.  
  
_ Yes, so I have as well. I sense unbalance in their lives.  
_  
Mazai smiled.  
  
"This is a good opportunity to claim what you seek then, is it not, master?" he asked.  
  
The green eyes closed, letting the darkness swallow them in the room where the master was.  
  
_Yes, it is._ The mysterious voice replied. _Soon, very soon, everything will be in place for the ultimate rising of our tribe... _

* * *

**End of Chapter One**  
  
Review! And next chapter up soon! 


	2. Chapter Two: Vagueness

**Chapter Two: Vagueness**  
  
Notes: Thanks for reviewing, everyone. I hope to update this fic sooner than I did Power is in the Eye of the Beholder which, as you probably know, has been completed. I'm glad you're all enjoying the series so far.  
  
Now, this story is SURE to have Seto angst in it. How could any of my YuGiOh fics not?! But of course, all the other characters will have their times to shine too. Also, Taerro and Tristan, both of whom didn't appear in my last fic, will be returning.  
  
Replies to reviewers...**1.)** Yes, I know I need to update sooner. Summer is in a week, and then I have chess camp for a week, THEN I can get back to usual. **2.)** For those who know the RPG version of this story, some things will have changed and be different, since that wasn't modified to be part of my series.  
  
Here we go!

* * *

**Chapter Two: Vagueness**  
  
"Just a few more," Yugi Motou murmured, scribbling down answers in his math notebook, eagerly watching the clock approach eight. "And then I'm free for the rest of the evening."  
  
Yugi looked up at the darkened window, narrowing his eyes as he clutched the puzzle slightly. It had been several hours since Yami had left, and the ancient spirit hadn't told him where he was going off to. Even though Yami was safe enough as a spirit and most certainly knew how to defend himself otherwise, it still made Yugi anxious when he wasn't around.  
  
"Maybe it's just because I'm so used to him being here," Yugi thought to himself, finishing up the last problem and closing the notebook with a sigh. "I feel...incomplete when he's not around."  
  
Yugi walked over to his bed and flopped down on top of the comforter, now not feeling quite as eager to spend his evening playing games with Grandpa or watching television. That old worry had crept back into his mind: What would he do when Yami really left for good? It was obvious the spirit couldn't stay with him forever, as much as he'd like it.  
  
"The Millennium Puzzle, Ring, Eye, and Necklace," The boy murmured, glancing over to the desk drawer where he kept the other three Millennium Items for safety. "Kaiba has the Rod, Karim has the Scales, and Shadi has the Key. Someday soon, they'll all come together...and then what?"  
  
Yugi's eyes watered thinking about it, but he was jerked from his misty thoughts by the sound of the telephone on his desk. Nearly falling off the bed, startled, Yugi ran over to the phone and picked it up.  
  
"H...hello?" he asked shakily, still slightly startled.  
  
"Yugi? Is Yugi there?" Came an older woman's voice.  
  
Yugi blinked, trying figure out to whom the voice belonged.  
  
"Yes, this is Yugi," he replied after a moment's pause. "Who's this?"  
  
"Hello Yugi dear!" The voice cried cheerfully. "Who is this?!"  
  
There was a sound of laughter in the background.  
  
"Yugi, dear, don't tell me you've already forgotten Madam Christina," she laughed, Yugi smiling. "It's only been a few months, after all, since you came to visit..."  
  
Yugi giggled.  
  
"Yeah, I mean, no, we didn't forget you!" Yugi stammered. "I just wasn't expecting you to call. What's up?"  
  
There was murmuring on the other side of the phone, and Yugi narrowed his eyes, pressing the receiver so close to his ear it started to ache.  
  
"Madam Christina?" he repeated.  
  
"Yes dear!" Came her jolly voice again. "I was wondering if you liked camping."  
  
Yugi blinked, raising his eyebrows.  
  
"Camping...?"  
  
"Yes dear! Camping!" she replied earnestly. "Do you and your friends like to go camping?"  
  
Yugi bit his lip. To be honest, he hadn't ever been camping, except for the night he and his friends had spent out in the woods of Duelist Kingdom. And frankly, he didn't know whether anyone else _liked_ camping or not.  
  
"Er...yeah, I guess," Yugi replied cautiously, wondering what this was leading to, or whether the eccentric woman was just playing around.  
  
She could be taking a survey and wanted someone else's opinion, for all he knew, after all.  
  
"Splendid!" Madam Christina cried. "I'll mail the tickets to you this very evening! Priority mail, so you'll get them the day after tomorrow!"  
  
Yugi swallowed.  
  
"Tickets? To...what?" he asked, laughter coming from the other end and more murmuring.  
  
"Oh, they'll have such a splendid time!" Came Madam Christina's loud voice, as if she were speaking to someone in the room with her at the same time.  
  
"Madam Christina!" Yugi yelled into the phone. "Tickets-to-what?!"  
  
The laughter died down and Yugi could hear some adjustments being made to the phone's position.  
  
"I won't keep you any longer, Yugi," Madam Christina replied, her voice full of cheerfulness. "Nice speaking with you, and hope you're well. Good bye!"  
  
"Wait...!" Yugi started, but there was a click on the other end of the phone and then the dial-tone rung into his ears.  
  
Slowly, Yugi lowered the phone back down to the hook and hung it up again. Blinking, he stared at the phone for a few minutes, wondering what Madam Christina had meant by her strange conversation.  
  
"Tickets to what...?" Yugi murmured, looking out the window, a breeze blowing by outside.

* * *

Taerro sat at his desk, writing out a long essay that wasn't due for nearly a month. "Better now then later, and when the inspiration gets you going," was his motto on that, and since late nights always fueled his motivation for studying, that's when he did most of his work.  
  
"Hmm..." The black-haired boy murmured, chewing lightly on the end of his pencil eraser.  
  
It had been nearly a month and since the strange encounter in the other dimension. He had ended up possessed by some strange will that forced him to play a game of Archfiend Chess with Bakura. Fortunately, he was able to subconsciously play for a draw, and both boys were spared from the "darkness." Still, the fact that someone, or something for that matter, could enter his home, his _mind_, in the middle of the night and steal him away didn't make him feel very comfortable.  
  
"Ghosts, demons, Duel Monsters, crazy doctors and possessed items," Taerro muttered, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Life just gets weirder and weirder every day, it seems."

* * *

_"Our tribe's revenge is near, master. We will finally be able to come out and show the world our true potential!"  
  
A dark figure smiled lightly, candles burning all around the room, wisps of smoke flying up and lingering in the air, giving the room a burnt and somewhat refreshing smell.  
  
"Yes, I know Mazai..." The dark figure murmured in reply, his voice low. "It is too perfect to not be fate's destiny for us. I sense the woman will lure them into the trap."  
  
Several other men, identical to the blue-faced ninja-like man from before looked up, their faces all painted various colors with thick face-paint.  
  
"Then we attack and raid their group?" One asked, looking eagerly up at their master, who was seated on a dark chair, one arm resting delicately on the arm, the other up at his head, resting his hand on his cheek.  
  
"Yes."_

* * *

Seto sighed, walking outside onto a balcony and looking out at his large yard. He hadn't lawn ornaments, and usually the yard, for being so big, was also quite barren. The hedges were neatly trimmed and the only things littering the otherwise lush, green lawn were a few soccer balls and miscellaneous toys Mokuba played with occasionally.  
  
"Something doesn't feel quite right," Seto muttered, sensing Priest Seto behind him.  
  
The spirit used to startle him when he'd come up behind him, but now Seto could almost feel the presence of the spirit. Perhaps it was powers that had rubbed off on him from extended use of the Millennium Rod...or perhaps he was developing abilities he didn't know he had before. Or maybe he was just used to the spirit now, he didn't know.  
  
Priest Seto nodded, his half-transparent, blue-tinged body slightly glowing, as it always did in the darker rooms. The spirit of the high priest floated up beside the boy, looking out at the yard as well.  
  
"I know," he replied, narrowing his eyes. "That woman, Zurui, is still out there somewhere. She won't give up until she is either defeated, or has succeeded."  
  
Seto huffed, folding his arms over his chest.  
  
"She won't be succeeding," he declared. "She was almost defeated the first time, apparently, since we were ejected from her dimension."  
  
Priest Seto sighed.  
  
"Perhaps," he replied mysteriously. "Or perhaps she is not all that she appears. I did not know a Zurui in my lifetime."  
  
Seto shrugged, his cold, blue eyes gazing out at the stars that were just appearing in the black velvet sky.  
  
"Then maybe she came before you were around," he suggested.  
  
Priest Seto shook his head, closing his eyes.  
  
"That couldn't be," he murmured. "Her spirit cries for revenge. Why would she attack us if she had died long before we were alive?"  
  
Priest Seto narrowed his eyes.  
  
"And what caused her to become weak enough to force us out of her dimension?" he murmured softly. "Someone was obviously fighting with her. Someone who knows more about her than we do."  
  
Seto raised an eyebrow, looking over at the somber priest.  
  
"So you mean that if we were to find out_ who_ had been attacking her, we might be able to answer some questions," he guessed.  
  
Priest Seto nodded.  
  
"Yes," he replied. "But the problem is...we have no clue who that person could have been."

* * *

Madam Christina smiled, turning around and facing a young man, his skin a dark tan and his thick, black hair coming down to his shoulders. In his hand, he held a golden scale of some sort, and his dark eyes were narrowed.  
  
"So you're going to give the Pharaoh's reincarnate a free passage to go...camping?" he asked, unsure.  
  
The older woman laughed, tossing her graying hair behind her, walking down the blue-carpeted halls and into the living room, the young man following behind her, looking around curiously at the huge mansion's interiors.  
  
"Yes I am," she replied cheerfully. "Karim? Did you say your name was?"  
  
Karim nodded solemnly, not used to this kind of cheerful attitude. Bastet and Shadi were all so somber, that it seemed strange for this older woman to act so...carefree.  
  
"Miss Christina," Karim interjected, bowing slightly as she turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Your brother sent me to make sure that you would remain safe in these times of great danger."  
  
Madam Christina tilted her head to the side.  
  
"Great danger?" she repeated. "Young man, I do think I know how to take care of myself now."  
  
Karim bowed again, this time looking down at the carpet as he spoke.  
  
"I know, but this is different," he murmured, clenching his teeth, the room dark all around them except for the bit of dim light that was coming from the living room lamp. "Shadi warned me that the evil that is threatening the Millennium Destiny has a vengeful soul. It is linked to the past, and you..."  
  
Madam Christina chuckled, putting her hand under Karim's chin and lifting his head up until he was eye-level with her.  
  
"Listen, young man," she replied firmly. "My older brother seems to think that I am a frail, old woman who has no idea of what the Millennium Destiny is. But he tends to forget, I must say, that it was I who was first in line to receive the Millennium Key. I daresay, I would have done a fine job with it myself, but I chose not to. That does not mean, however, that I have forgotten what I learned as a youth."  
  
Karim nodded, backing up slightly.  
  
"Yes, miss," he replied in a low voice. "But beside that, do you really think it is safe to send Yugi Motou and the others out into the wilderness in such times? They possess now five of the seven Millennium Items. No doubt more than just this ancient evil of the past will be after them, with such great powers at their disposal."  
  
Madam Christina smiled a mysterious half smile.  
  
"Loosen up," she said firmly, turning around, her long, pale purple dress trailing behind her as she walked toward the living room. "I don't know what Shadi's been telling you, but you don't always have to act so stiff."  
  
Karim raised an eyebrow, concerned.  
  
"All...right then," he murmured, following after her, still questions buzzing around in his mind.

* * *

**End of Chapter Two**  
  
REVIEW PLEASE!  
  
Sorry this chapter took so long, again, but I do think it came out nicely. Hoping to update sometime within the next week. But for now, review! And don't forget to check out my Era of Darkness fic, which should be updated sometime this week as well. 


	3. Chapter Three: Tickets

**Chapter Three: Tickets**  
  
**Notes:** Gomen, gomen, for the terrible lack of updates. I have gone through several periods of writer's block, even though this YGO series is very intriguing to write with. Now let's see, in reply to some reviews, **1.)** I'm working on the updating sooner factor. **2.)** Taerro is happy to hear he has a fan. **3.)** Madam Christina is eccentric, but not a bitch.  
  
All things covered, let's move on to chapter three!  
  
  
  
**Chapter Three: Tickets  
**  
Yugi sighed, sitting out on the bottom stair outside, watching anxiously as a truck rolled down the street, slowly and noisily. A few moments later, there was another noise, and Yugi jerked up to see a small car speeding down the road. Sighing, he let his head droop again.  
  
"What's the matter, aibou?" Yami asked curiously, looking down at his reincarnated self. "You seem anxious."  
  
Yugi blushed, looking up and nodding with a smile.  
  
"Yeah, well, I'm just waiting for that package Madam Christina said she was going to send us," he muttered looking up again in time to see an old station wagon roll by. "I've been wondering about it ever since that phone call a few days ago..."  
  
Yami nodded, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"Yes..." he murmured absentmindedly, his mind off elsewhere, thinking about the items once more.  
  
How was he to know when the time was right? If all the items were located now, how much longer did he have to wait before they could be brought together? But then again, he didn't want to go off somewhere without this strange owner of the other dimension being put down first. He didn't want to leave Yugi and his friends in some sort of peril.  
  
"There it is!" Yugi cried, leaping to his feet and running down the driveway as the mailman pulled up, shoving three letters and an envelope into the mailbox, Yugi immediately pulling them all out moving toward the envelope. "Thanks!" he called to the mailman, who had already begun to drive away, staring at Yugi strangely.  
  
Yami blinked as Yugi tore open the envelope to reveal several tickets, all of which read the exact same thing:  
  
"3 days, 3 Nights. Shinobi Forest Camping Grounds," Yugi read off, blinking. "I guess she wasn't kidding when she said we were going to go camping."  
  
Yami nodded, looking out at the mailtruck in the distance.  
  
"Apparently not..." he murmured, narrowing his eyes. "But why would she wish for you all to go camping at a time like this?"  
  
Yugi looked up at Yami curiously.  
  
"A time like what?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.  
  
Yami turned a bit red, and looked away.  
  
"Nothing," he muttered, realizing his own thoughts about the Millennium Items were now even intruding into his normal conversations. "Camping."  
  
Yugi shrugged and smiled.  
  
"Well, I guess I'll call the others and see what they're up for," he declared, the tickets clenched in his hands as he hurried up to the Game Shop and flung open the door.  
  
Yami floated after him.  
  
  
  
"I see you all made it."  
  
Bastet, the sleek-coated black cat looked down at the group of humans that had entered the Temple of the Gods in Egypt, her yellow eyes narrowed as she perched on top of a stone pillar.  
  
Down on the stone floor below, Ishizu Ishtar bowed respectfully, her black hair flowing in front of her.  
  
"Yes," she said calmly, her expression serene.  
  
Shadi, the dark-eyed Egyptian man stood against the stone wall of the temple, the golden Millennium Key around his neck. Also in the room was an ibis-headed man, Thoth, the god of the moon, who was writing on his scroll, looking up only occasionally at Bastet.  
  
"Good," Bastet declared, narrowing her eyes as her cat-tail flicked anxiously. "As you know, there has been a disturbance in the Millennium Destiny. Ishtar," she said hastily, looking down at Ishizu. "You are gifted with the sight, are you not? Can you see anything?"  
  
Ishizu closed her blue eyes, her hands at her side.  
  
"I can only see a small hole," she murmured, narrowing her closed eyes, thought creases appearing on her forehead. "Coming from the past. Like someone who somehow evaded the course of time, and instead defied that logic and has assumed a role in the present."  
  
Ishizu opened her eyes, feeling a strange weight on herself.  
  
"But that isn't what troubles me right now," she concluded, Bastet raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Well what is, then?" she demanded, pacing back and forth now. "Don't tell me it's Domino, again," she added, rolling her eyes. "We've stationed Karim down there, along with that priest who just won't go, and Madam Christina as well."  
  
Shadi nodded.  
  
"Christina has Karim stationed at her home in case she gets a bit...wild," he explained, a smile almost appearing on his face, but it was too dark to tell. "She was always a free spirit, but sometimes that freedom is a bit of a weakness."  
  
Ishizu nodded solemnly.  
  
"I am aware of this," she replied. "But I feel that along with the snag in time, that seems to hover above several of the ones related to the ancient times, there is a strange cry in the Domino area. As if someone, or something, is desperately seeking freedom."  
  
Bastet huffed.  
  
"And what do you propose we do about that, Miss Ishtar?" she asked, eyeing Thoth, who was still writing on his scroll. "Send out the rest of our forces because of your vague premonition?"  
  
Ishizu didn't look troubled as she simply turned around.  
  
"What you do about it, Bastet, is your decision," she replied with a small smile. "I, however, will do what I feel is necessary. Good day."  
  
With that, the Egyptian woman turned and walked out of the temple, leaving Shadi, Bastet, and Thoth alone. Shadi narrowed his eyes.  
  
"That woman is a bit outspoken," he mused, raising an eyebrow. "But we cannot afford to overlook any threat at the moment, no matter how vague."  
  
Bastet sighed, cringing.  
  
"I'll decide what to do about it," she snapped, disappearing from sight.  
  
  
  
Tea broke into a wide grin as she, Duke, Amber, Taerro, Bakura, Tristan, Joey, Serenity, and Kiki all crowded around Yugi inside the Game Shop.  
  
"And there's enough tickets for all of us, and Kaiba and Mokuba if they want to come!" The spiky-haired boy declared with a smile, holding the faded tickets out for everyone to see.  
  
Joey groaned, putting a hand to his forehead.  
  
"Do we HAVE to invite Kaiba and Mokuba?" he sighed, leaning back in the fluffy couch. "I mean, the whole trip sounds like a great idea until you invite that snob."  
  
Kiki tilted her head to the side, smiling mysteriously.  
  
"He doesn't seem like that much of a snob," she murmured, thinking back to the brown-haired boy. "And his brother seemed nice as well. So did that spirit that hovers near them."  
  
Yugi narrowed his eyes. Why could Kiki see Priest Seto? Only Millennium Item owners or fated possessors could see the ancient spirits, unless there were special circumstances, like Mokuba.  
  
The thought was only vaguely in his mind as Tristan snatched up a ticket and squinted down at it.  
  
"That old bat just gave the tickets to you?" he asked, astonished. "These things cost a fortune, you know. Shinobi Forest is supposed to be a very old and historic camp grounds. Usually only the really ritzy people or private schools go there for fields trips."  
  
Duke rolled his eyes, smirking as he twirled a lock of his hair around his index finger.  
  
"And how rich is Madam Christina?" he reminded the others with a grin.  
  
Amber nodded stretching out on the other couch.  
  
"True," she replied, suppressing a yawn. "Guess she's classified under the "ritzy rich" type, though not the "snobby rich." It's awfully nice of her to give us the tickets, though this is a little odd timing."  
  
Yugi nodded, still smiling.  
  
"May is still going to be a little cold outside at night, but other than that, we should be fine," he said, gazing down at his tickets once more. "The date is set for this Friday through Sunday, so if we're going to invite the Kaibas, we'd better do it soon."  
  
Joey rolled his eyes again, grumbling as he took the remote control away from Taerro, who had been watching a Spanish soap opera and changed the channel.  
  
"Hey!" Taerro cried, looking up at Joey angry. "I was watching something."  
  
Joey yawned, changing the channel to a mindless cartoon show.  
  
"This is more beneficial," he muttered, his eyelids drooping.  
  
Tea chuckled, rolling her eyes.  
  
"How so? As a bedtime story?" she asked, Joey too focused on the show or sleeping to reply.  
  
Bakura chuckled as Taerro sighed, moving away from the TV and over toward the others.  
  
  
  
Seto stifled a yawn as he typed feverishly on his laptop, leaning back in his desk chair. Priest Seto had gone out hours earlier, and Mokuba was playing video games behind him on the TV.  
  
"Yay! Level twelve!" Mokuba declared, punching down at the buttons recklessly. "I'm going for a new record, niisama!"  
  
Seto nodded absentmindedly.  
  
"Mm-hm," he murmured, as the phone beside the desk rang.  
  
Reaching over, he picked it up off the receiver and put it up to his ear.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Kaiba?" Came a cheerful voice from the other end, and Seto narrowed his eyes, sitting up in his chair.  
  
"Yugi," Seto replied. "What are you calling for?"  
  
Yugi scratched his cheek as he thought of some way to word the invitation.  
  
"Well, Madam Christina...you remember her, right?"  
  
Seto sighed, not liking the sounds of this.  
  
"Yes, Yugi, I remember Madam Christina," he said in irritation. "What about her?"  
  
"Well, she sent me these...tickets," Yugi started, looking down at them in his hands. "For three days of overnight camping up at the Shinobi Forest. And we have some extra tickets, and we were wondering if you and Mokuba wanted to come along."  
  
Seto blinked.  
  
"Overnight camping?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, Mokuba's eyes brightening behind him.  
  
The black-haired boy whirled around, now looking completely distracted from his video games.  
  
"Can we go, niisama?!" he cried, looking excited.  
  
Seto waved his hand down at the boy, who smiled broadly, trying to make him stop talking.  
  
"Yeah," Yugi replied cheerfully, feeling a bit silly at having called now. "So...would you two like to go?"  
  
Seto sighed, looking at the computer screen.  
  
"Would we like to go...?" he muttered, Mokuba leaping to his feet and nodding.  
  
"Yes! Yes!" he cried, Seto sighing again, seeing that he really had no choice in the matter.  
  
Mokuba wasn't going to let him say no.  
  
"Fine, fine," Seto muttered, opening his colander on the computer screen and resting the phone on his shoulder as he positioned his hands over the keys. "What day?"  
  
Yugi smiled, giving a thumbs up to Taerro, Bakura, and Tea, all of whom had been watching him make the call.  
  
"It's this Friday," Yugi replied. "We're going to take separate cars, and Mr. Taylor is going to chaperon, again. We come home Sunday."  
  
Seto typed down the information, not liking the looks of it. A week of being outdoors, away from civilization, with Yugi and his friends. Sounded like madness to him.  
  
"I'll see you guys then, I guess," Yugi replied, thinking of some good way to end the conversation.  
  
"Fine," Seto replied. "Bye," he muttered, hanging up, Mokuba bursting out.  
  
"YAY!" he cried, Seto blinking at him strangely. "We're gonna go camping, niisama?!"  
  
Seto sighed, tapping on the desk.  
  
"I suppose we are," he muttered.  
  
  
  
**End of Chapter Three**  
  
**REVIEW!** And next chapter up (hopefully) sooner than this one. 


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